1. Field of Invention
This system is an improved method of constructing concrete buildings, using T beams for walls and roof thereby creating a very strong monolithic structure highly resistant to natural disasters. Rigid foam insulation is integrated into the forms, producing an energy efficient building: strength and efficiency with a minimal quantity of concrete.
2. Prior Art
Masonry construction has been used for dwelling starting with improving caves and followed by multiple methods and construction materials, as written below:
(a) Ancient Masonry Wall Construction
Masonry wall construction is a very old building practice; used throughout the world. Typically various mortars were used to unite individual small units such as stones, into a large building resulting in strong walls. Materials depended on availability; for example, on the Greek island of Thera (known as Santorini) the mortar used was the local volcanic soil. Imperial Roman builders, with the availability of volcanic sand with cementing properties, crafted a mortar to cast thick and high masonry walls using natural stone. These walls were formed of two external planes of laid stone, then filled with rubble and mortar. Buildings constructed in this way, such as the coliseum, have stood for millennia. This system was possible because slavery was legal in ancient Rome; a titanic and inexpensive labor force was available for handling such heavy duties. A similar construction system was used in the building of multi-story structures at Chaco Canyon; N. Mex., in the fourteenth century uniting stones with a mortar of soil. As an expensive, labor-intensive process the present use of masonry walls in the U.S. is more for decoration than for convenience.
(b) Conventional Masonry Unit Construction.
Typical modern masonry construction uses concrete blocks, clay bricks or stone masonry units to build walls. This requires skilled labor and supervision. After the walls have been built, electrical and plumbing elements are installed by scoring channels in the masonry resulting in a blemish that must later be patched. The exterior perimeter needs to be caulked and maintained.
(c) Prefabricated Concrete Panels.
Prefabricated panels made of light weight concrete are factory built and assembled on site. To assemble a building using prefabricated elements requires skilled labor, administration, logistics, and planning. It also requires a factory, specialized machinery, technical personnel, and a market absorbing the planned production. Panels require warehouse space, and transport with clerical work involved. Panel construction relies on a metal frame for strength, and does not achieve a monolithic condition.
(d) Concrete Poured-in-Place Systems.
There are several systems using poured-in-place concrete, mainly for wall construction. There are companies selling or renting forming equipment made of steel, aluminum, or fiberglass. For economy such walls are thin, typically 4 inches in dimension. Such walls, as a result of temperature changes or soils reactions, develop cracks. There are also several systems on the market (generally known as “insulated concrete forms”) using specially shaped polystyrene which are stacked like bricks, then reinforced with rebar placed in the voids provided by the system. The voids of the forms are then filled with concrete, and the exterior is covered with stucco. The polystyrene covered with stucco is relatively weak; woodpeckers have pecked holes in such walls to store their nuts. Normally the roof is built by the use of wood or metal beams, rafters, or trusses, which strong winds lift, leaving the walls with no bracing.
There are some systems which have walls and flat roofs of reinforced concrete. They are popular to satisfy the demand of very affordable dwellings, but are rarely used in the United States. Such buildings, as a result of temperature changes or soils reactions, develop cracks which require heavy maintenance, such as caulking and some times patching or rebuilding.
(e) Tilt Up Concrete System.
Another construction system very popular is producing concrete panels on site, usually for industrial buildings. Such panels are poured flat on the floor slab and subsequently raised to a vertical position by a crane. The wall's thickness and steel reinforcement must be calculated to withstand the strain of lifting. The assembling requires tow equipment and specially skilled labor.
(f) Eugenio Aburto Poured-in-Place System Using Rock Filled Concrete Walls and Concrete T-Beam Roof.
I developed a system in Mexico City about forty years ago, the subject of a previous patent application (Ser. No. 10/760,335 dated Jan. 20, 2004). I built several thousands of dwellings using poured-in-place concrete and rocks, creating solid masonry walls. Structural calculations designed them strong enough to resist the frequent earthquakes in that region. Roofs were a concrete slab based on the principle of T-beams; concrete hollow blocks were used as form work to generate the T shape. The system was successful to produce affordable dwellings, schools and commercial buildings. They are still standing, enjoyed by their occupants during more than 40 years as a proof of the efficiency of the system.